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Savvy shopping, seasonal eating and thrifty recipes. Spend less on groceries and enjoy better tasting, easy to prepare meals your friends and family will love – all on a budget.

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Our Family Meal Plan For This Week 18/03/2013 - £53

I’m a rather weary Meal Planner this week. I compiled this Meal Plan in about an hour. We have a house inspection on Tuesday so
spent the weekend tidying and decluttering the house. By the time I got around to sorting out our Meal Plan and online shop motivation, patience and creativity were all in very
short supply.

Breakfasts will be cereal or toast with fruit for afters. My daughters will be having school dinners this week which will make life a little easier. It is my middle daughters birthday on Thursday so I need to bake a cake for that along with some treats for a tea party with her friends.

The cost of our 38 grocery items was £52.68 from Asda delivered on 17/03/2013. I used My Supermarket to compare the cost of our shopping at other supermarkets. Our groceries would've cost £62.38 from Sainsbury's and £64.69 from Tesco had we shopped there.

Dinners

Bean and Veg Burgers
with Wedges – Meatfree Monday

This recipe is from the Morrisons M-Savers event that I
attended in London last year.

1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, finely diced

1 pepper, finely diced

1 tsp chilli powder

100g fresh breadcrumbs

about 500g potatoes, for the wedges

Sauté the onion and pepper in a little oil for a couple of
minutes until it softens then leave to cool for a bit. Mash the kidney beans with a potato masher,
leave it a little lumpy – not too smooth.
Add the cooled sautéed pepper and onion along with the breadcrumbs to
the kidney beans and mix everything together thoroughly. Shape into 5 burgers and fry in a little oil
for a couple of minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown. Then put them in the oven at 180C for about
10 minutes until completely cooked through.

Wash the potatoes and cut them into wedges, not too
thick. Put a little oil on your hands and
rub the wedges so that they get lightly coated in the oil. To cook the wedges, bake them in the oven for
about 25 minutes at 180C.

Serve the burgers in buns with tomato, lettuce and mayo. I sometimes sprinkle a little paprika and/or
chilli powder over the wedges to give them a little more flavour.

Baked Fish with White
Beans - Tuesday

2 tsp olive oil

2 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

30ml water

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

2 handfuls frozen mixed vegetables

5 sprigs fresh thyme

5 thick white fish fillets

1 lemon, washed and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying
pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and water. Cook, stirring occasionally,
for 4-5 minutes or until the leeks are soft. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof baking
dish.

Add the tin of tomatoes, drained tin of cannellini beans,
frozen corn and peas to the baking dish. Stir to combine everything. Arrange the sprigs of thyme and fish fillets on
top of the vegetables. Put the slices of
lemon on top of the fish and sprinkle over some freshly ground pepper. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the fish is
cooked through. Remove the thyme sprigs before
you serve the dish.

Vegetable Pasta Bake
– Wednesday

500g pasta

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

1 courgette, diced

1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1 ball mozzarella cheese

Chop all the vegetables into a 1cm dice and sauté them in a
little oil until they start to soften.
Add the tin of tomatoes and dried mixed herbs. Let the sauce simmer whilst you cook the
pasta according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta and mix thoroughly with the sauce before
putting into an ovenproof dish. Chop or
rip the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter it all over the top of the
pasta. Bake at 180C for about 15 – 20
minutes.

This isn't one of those meatloaves that look and taste like
a brick. It's moist and flavoursome, you
can serve it hot or cold with salads or cooked vegetables, and it’s fab in
packed lunches the next day. I cheat by
using supermarket or butchers sausages that are already flavoured. You can get some great ones that are around
95% meat so not full of loads of undesirable ingredients to fill them out.

Put the garlic, mince, sausage meat, egg, onion, grated
carrot and any herbs or flavourings you want to use, into a large bowl.
Thoroughly combine everything using your hands to really squish it all together
to that it's really well blended. Press
the mixture firmly into the loaf tin and level the top. Combine the topping ingredients and then
spread it evenly over the meatloaf.
Cover with foil then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 30
minutes or until juices run clear when you test it with a skewer. I usually serve this with cooked mixed
vegetables and mashed potato.

Nan’s Sausage
Casserole - Saturday

450g good quality sausages

1 tsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 celery sticks, finely sliced

2 carrots, finely sliced

3 apples, peeled and diced

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

250 ml beef stock

1 tsp cornflour

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Slice the sausages into 1 inch/ 2.5cm chunks. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the
onions, garlic and sausages. Mix the
beef stock and cornflour together.

Put the browned sausages, onion, garlic, carrots, apples,
tinned tomatoes and herbs in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the stock over and mix everything together well. Cover the dish with a lid or kitchen foil and
bake for 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. I usually serve this with mashed potato and
cooked mixed vegetables.

Family Sized Mince
Pie - Sunday

450g beef mince

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 carrots, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely sliced

1 handful parsley, finely chopped

1 Tblsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 Tblsp mustard

2 Tblsp tomato paste

1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

300ml beef stock

2 handfuls frozen mixed vegetables

1 sheet puff pastry

Heat a good splash of olive oil in a large frying-pan that
has a lid. Fry the onion and garlic
until soft. Add the vegetables and herbs
and fry until they are just starting to soften.

Add the mince and brown it whilst breaking it up. Once the mince has browned and no pink patches remain, add the mustard,
tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and a few grinds of black pepper.

Add the beef stock
and allow the mince to simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Add the frozen peas and corn and simmer for a
further 5 minutes. You may need to add a
little extra water. Stir the mince occasionally. Taste and season with salt and
pepper to taste.

Pour the pie filling into an ovenproof dish and allow to
cool.

Preheat your oven to 180 °C.

Lay the pastry over the pie filling, crimp the edges, and
make little cuts with a sharp knife to let steam escape during cooking. Brush the pastry with a little milk to glaze
it and then bake the pie for around 30–40 minutes until the pastry is golden. I usually serve this with mashed potatoes.

Treats

Sweet Tarts

For the pastry:

225g plain flour

115g butter

1 tsp white sugar

1 egg yolk

1 – 2 Tblsp cold water

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub the butter into the flour
until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar and then use a knife to mix in the egg yolk. Add the water, a little at a time, stirring
it together with a knife until the mixture comes together into and you can form
a ball of dough with your hands.

Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate it for 30
minutes. This allows the pastry to rest
and makes it much easier to work with and roll out.

Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with
plain flour and roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a small round cutter, cut circles of
pastry big enough to line the holes of a mini muffin tin.

Re-roll any trimmings and cut out more circles of pastry
until it has all been used. Bake the
mini tart cases for about 5 – 7 minutes until they are a pale golden
colour. Fill with jam or lemon curd and
bake for another 5 minutes or so.

Remove from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for a
few minutes before carefully removing them from the tin to finish cooling completely
on a wire rack.

Energy Boost Muffins

2 cups plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup sultanas

1/2 cup grated unpeeled apple

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line each hole of a 12 muffin tin
with a paper case.

Stir all the ingredients together, until just combines. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin and bake
15 – 20 minutes until well risen, and golden brown. Cool the muffins in the tin for 2 – 3 minutes
in the muffin tins before gently transferring them to a wire rack to cool
completely.

Sultana and Oat
Biscuits

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

125g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups rolled oats

2 ½ cups plain flour

1 cup sultanas or raisins

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Beat the sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla
together until creamy with a mixer or by hand.
Mix in the rolled oats and flour.
Gently mix in the sultanas or raisins.

Put teaspoonfuls of mixture on to the lined baking tray,
leaving room between the biscuits for them to spread. Flatten the biscuits a little with a floured
fork. Bake the biscuits for 20 – 25
minutes until they are golden brown.
Cool the biscuits on a wire rack and store them in an airtight
container.

Apple and Sultana
Swirls

2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice

60g chilled butter, cubed

125ml milk

1/3 cup sultanas

1 large apple, peeled and cored then grated

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Line a baking tray non-stick baking paper or grease it lightly with
melted butter.

Put the flour, sugar and mixed spice into a large bowl. Rub
the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the milk
and sultanas. Use a bread and butter
knife mix everything together until the mixture just comes together. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured
surface and gently knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is fairly
smooth.

Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into
a 25cm x 30cm (10 inch x 12 inch) rectangle.
Sprinkle over the grated apple.
Starting from the long side, roll the dough up firmly to form a
log. Cut crossways into twelve 2cm thick
slices. Put the slices cut side up onto
the prepared baking try.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden
and cooked through. Remove from oven and
transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I sometimes ice these with some vanilla flavoured glace icing.

Lemon Drizzle Cake or
Plain Sponge Loaf

This is one of my husbands favourites and about the only
cake he'll eat that isn't chocolate cake LOL
It is so quick and easy to whizz up in my mixer. I call it my 2, 2, 2, 3 lemon cake because
that's how I remember the recipe. If you
don't want to make a lemon drizzle cake, or don't have any lemons, then all is
not lost! Just leave out the zest and
don't make the drizzle. This loaf cake
tastes fab plain, either dusted with icing sugar or with some buttercream
icing. Give it a whirl!

200g softened butter

200g caster sugar

200g self raising flour

3 free range eggs

finely grated zest of 1 lemon, give it a good wash first to
get rid of any wax/grease

Lemon Drizzle:

Juice of the zested lemon

about 50g of sugar, add 5g more if you used a rather large
lemon

Preheat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Line a loaf tin with non stick baking paper
or one of the precut liners you can buy.
My loaf tin is 22cm x 11cm.

I usually have my Kenwood Mixer on minimum speed then on 1
speed at the most. You don't want to
beat the mixture too roughly.

Cream the butter and sugar then add the lemon zest and give
it a beat for another minute. Add the
eggs one at a time with about 1/3 of the flour each time, beat for a bout 1
minute or so for each egg and flour addition.

Scrape down the sides of the mixer and beat for another 30
seconds or so. Spoon the mixture into
the loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes.
Test the cake with a skewer inserted into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean then the cake
is cooked. If not, I turn the oven heat down 10C and put it back in for 5
minutes before checking again with a skewer.

Once the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and make
the lemon drizzle.

Mix the lemon juice and sugar together until they are well
combined but don't dissolve the sugar.
Prick the cake all over with the cake tester skewer and slowly spoon
over the lemon drizzle.

Leave to cool in the in for about 30 minutes then cool on a
wire rack, right side up of course.

Shopping List

38 items: £52.68

Packets and Cereals

1x ASDA Chosen
by You Wholegrain Scottish Porridge Oats (500g) 65p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Cornflakes (750g) 46p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Crispy Rice Cereal (440g) 77p

1x ASDA Chosen
by You Fusilli Twists (500g) 50p was 95p

1x Silver Spoon
Granulated Sugar (1Kg) 88p

1x Asda
Wholefoods Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) 80p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg) 45p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 45p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g) 30p

1x ASDA Chosen
by You Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g) £1.00

1x Asda Home
Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g) 64p

1x ASDA
Wholefoods Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg) £1.28

Frozen

2x ASDA
Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) £1.50

1x ASDA
Whitefish Fillets (500g) £2.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

4x ASDA Smartprice
Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) £1.24

1x ASDA
Cannellini Beans in Water (300g) 64p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g) 27p

Dairy and Eggs

5x ASDA British
Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £5.00

2x Kerrygold
Pure Irish Butter (250g) £2.00 2 FOR £2.00

1x Cathedral
City Extra Mature Cheddar (350g) £2.00

1x Galbani Maxi
Mozzarella (250g) £1.50 was £1.88

3x Suffolk Farm
Medium Free Range Eggs (6) £3.00

Fruit and Vegetables

1x ASDA
Smartprice Sultanas (500g) 98p

1x ASDA Salad
Tomatoes (750g) £1.00

20 ASDA
Smartprice Apples by Weight (100g) £2.36

20 ASDA Bananas
by Weight (100g) £1.36

4 ASDA Leeks
by Weight (100g) 66.8p was 20p

10 ASDA Red
Onions by Weight (100g) 90p

2x ASDA White
Potatoes (2.5Kg) £3.50 2 FOR £3.50

1x ASDA Round
Lettuce 57p

1x ASDA Celery 89p

1x ASDA Garlic
Loose 30p

1x ASDA
Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.77

1x ASDA
Courgettes (3) £1.47

1x ASDA Unwaxed
Lemons (5) £1.35

1x ASDA Carrots
(1.2Kg) £1.00

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x Porky Whites
Surrey Pork Sausages (454g) £4.00

1x ASDA
Butcher's Selection Beef Mince (830g) £3.23

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online
grocery websites, and are correct as of 16th March 2013. Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

5 comments:

Will be trying some of these recipes, thanks for sharing, I use supermarket.com as well but this week got in a right pickle as I started with Asda but had a voucher for Sainsbury's so at check out swapped to there and it has made some rubbish substitutes for own brands - note I must carefully check shoppping list, plus I spent more than normal so not a good week!

Hi Mark, I use measuring cups bought from a local supermarket for £2. The capacity of 1 cup is 250ml, half cup is 125ml, quarter cup is 60ml. You can use an online converter website to change the quantities from cups to grams but make sure it is a British and not American site as the cup sizes are different in USA.